North of the Passo Gardena mountain pass, the Cir Group is located, part of the Puez Group
The Cir Group is called Cirspitzen in German, Pizes de Cir in Ladin and Gruppo del Cir in Italian. In fact it is a mountain group of the Puez Group in the Dolomites, north of Passo Gardena.
In the Cir Group the Big Cir (2,592 m a.s.l.), the Small Cir, some further peaks as well as the Cir Ridge which leads to the Chedul valley are located. The Big Cir was climbed for the first time in 1887 by Johann Santner and Gottfried Merzbacher. But probably Ladin hunters climbed theses mountains already long before.
Both peaks, the Big and the Small Cir, are popular destinations. They offer a fantastic panoramic view and are accessible in a short time from Passo Gardena without using a cable car. The Small Cir can be reached along an easy via ferrata within 1 hour, the Big Cir, main peak, within 1.5 hours. Due to the short walking time, the peaks can be combined with each other. An alternative hike proceeds from the Vallunga valley up to the Cir Peaks, but this hike takes about 5 hours.
